This was my first Arcane Revelry experience and I didn’t know what to expect. But it sounded intimate and it was held at Studio 13 where Portlandia was filmed. It seemed swanky enough so I made my way downtown with the company of the Oregon Leaf team to check it out.

The entrance was lined with different vendors, both Cannabis and non-Cannabis brands. I sampled tasty snacks and chatted with the Cannassentials crew who provided flower for the event. Cannassentials is a Cannabis farm located in Eugene that specializes in organic craft Cannabis and regenerative practices. They use plant and fruit ferments to feed the crops—freeing their farm of bottle nutrients altogether. Not only did the farm provide a plethora of flower options for guests, but gave numerous phenotypes to sample from each strain.

My choice strain of evening was the Polynesian Thin Mint, phenotype number one.It not only looked and smelled the part—perfectly ripened trichomes, well cured, quality trim job—but it tasted wonderful. Thin Mint is my favorite cookie, tempered with a Polynesian twist. The resulting smoke was incredibly smooth and rich with notes of sugar pastry and gas undertones.

The dining room was dimly lit and each table was dressed with candles and Cannabis bouquets. The craft Cannabis was accompanied by a four-course dinner infused with local Oregon produce. Guests were gifted joints of Sour Diesel and Orange Haze to puff on while enjoying a vegan dinner by local Chef Chris Bailey. In the food industry, Baily wants to combat rampant food waste so he used bruised, or otherwise imperfect, tomatoes and berries for the red fruit gazpacho served in the first course. The plates used during the dinner were made of pressed palms leaves and entirely compostable.

In fact, all of the Cannabis and the food served during Arcane Revelry was harvested sustainably. Every aspect of the dinner addressed the issue of sustainable practices across many neighboring industries beyond food production and Cannabis.

But back to the food. The chickpea panisse with sautéed greens and aquafaba remoulade with roasted garlic was a favorite. The golden panisse was divine. It was comforting and nostalgic, which is tough to do with vegan food in my humble opinion. The sweet chickpea nugget was perfectly seasoned and balanced the sea of greens.

The texture reminded me of a polenta square but with more density and packed with rich flavor without the grit.The summer vegetable ceviche with apricot leche de tigre was a close second! It was like a mild papaya salad without the spice.

I enjoyed the vegan four-course dinner with friends and writers from the Cannabis community. Ashley Preece, founder of the Ethical Cannabis Alliance, was in attendance and spoke about how we need to focus on making sure Cannabis workers are treated fairly and ethically, beyond just looking at sustainable growing practices.

Preece brought up the issue during her brief dinner speech about taking care of the Cannabis workforce and all the workers including garden hands, trimmers, budtenders who make this industry possible. I am looking forward to following more work from the Ethical Cannabis Alliance.

We ended the evening with a rich boozy stone fruit, white chocolate creameux with cake crumbles dessert garnished with edible flowers. I paired the fourth course with a joint, filled with a medley of Cannassentials flower, which put me into a state of buzzy relaxation to round out the night.

My Arcane Revelry dinner experience was exactly what our community needs: a safe space to celebrate Cannabis in the company of food and solid conversation. I had a blast getting to know more about my local growers and chefs.

It was also humbling being in the same room with women and men who work every day to make our Cannabis community in Oregon a vibrant place. I would highly recommend attending an Arcane Revelry dinner to an industry insider or a curious enthusiast looking to experience a socially conscious Cannabis dinner.